Usagi Yojimbo #9

Stan Sakai's Eisner Award-winning rabbit ronin stands poised and alert on this handsome Dark Horse collection, his hand near his blade as autumn leaves drift around him and a fallen figure lies at his feet — a quietly powerful image that captures everything compelling about feudal Japan filtered through Sakai's distinctive anthropomorphic lens. Daisho gathers more of Usagi's wandering adventures, and this cover's combination of serenity and tension says everything about why this series has earned such devoted readers. A fine addition to any shelf at its 1998 cover price.